


A Dance of Star and Earth

by WriterGirl1198



Series: The Legendarium [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22282039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterGirl1198/pseuds/WriterGirl1198
Summary: First in the Legendarium. The heirs of Durin have survived the Battle of the Five Armies, so Dís is confused when she arrives in Erebor only to find the entire Company in mourning. When she finally drags the truth out of her sons, Dís discovers that there was in fact a fifteenth member of the Company of Thorin Oakenshield: an Elven woman with a past as mysterious as her name.
Relationships: Thorin Oakenshield/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Legendarium [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603816
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	A Dance of Star and Earth

**Author's Note:**

> *****DISCLAIMER***** I only own my characters and do not in any way, shape, form, or fashion own The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. That honor belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson only. I am merely borrowing their work in order to live in Middle-earth for a short period of time.

"Princess, a raven! It must have come from Erebor!"

Upon hearing the cry from her guards, Princess Dís ran to greet the raven messenger which she prayed was from her brother, Thorin. It had been many long weeks since her brother and sons had left to reclaim the lost home of their people, and she had heard nothing from them since. Her prayer was answered when the raven began to speak.

"I am Thärn, son of Roäc, son of Carc, my Lady," the young raven told her. "I was bidden by your brother to inform you of his Company's success. Rejoice, children of Mahal, for the dragon Smaug is dead!"

At his words, a great cheer rose from all who could hear, and Dís knew that word would soon spread throughout Ered Luin of Thorin's great victory. Though she too felt fierce joy at this news, Dís pushed it aside to ask a question of far more importance.

"What of my sons?" she inquired with apprehension. "Do you know aught of Fíli and Kíli?"

"They were untouched by the dragon," Thärn promised the dwarrowdam. "Your younger son was wounded by an Orc arrow in what was once the Greenwood, but he has since been healed. The King your brother assures you that he will send for you when he is certain that you will journey in safety."

Dís scowled at the bird, crossing her arms. "And did my oh-so-noble brother tell you why I am not to come immediately? Why would he deem the journey unsafe?"

"He did not say," croaked the raven, "but I fear that danger looms as a shadow over the gates of the Mountain, though I know not yet what form it will take."

The raven-haired princess felt a chill come over her at those words, and she closed her eyes, taking a moment to calm her temper. "Thank you, Thärn, Roäc's son. I apologize for my harsh tone; it was not meant for you. May your feathers never fall!"

Thärn bowed his head before taking flight at his dismissal, and Dís took a moment to fully process everything. Her sons were alive, even if they were a little worse for wear. That was all well and good. She could live with that. Thorin, likewise, was still breathing, praise Mahal. Dís had no wish to bury another brother. Then, all of a sudden, it finally sank in. _Smaug is dead. The Mountain is ours once more. We're going home._

Even though the Company had originally only set out to reclaim the Arkenstone, rally the seven armies of the Dwarrow under Thorin's command, and then kill the fire-drake, Dís could not quite bring herself to care that the plans had somehow gone awry. The dragon that had killed her mother and so many of her people, the monster that had driven the Dwarrow from their home and haunted her nightmares for centuries, was dead.

_The wyrm is dead_ , Dís thought in triumph. _Long live the true King Under the Mountain._

* * *

Three days later, another unexpected messenger arrived in the Blue Mountains seeking Dís. The dwarrowdam stared in astonishment as a great Eagle, a mighty servant of Manwë himself, landed gracefully before her.

"Hail, Dís, daughter of Thráin," spoke the Eagle, his voice strong and wild. He bowed his head slightly, flaring his wings in respect. "I am called Voronwë."

"Hail and well-met, Voronwë," Dís replied, bowing deeply in return. "What business brings you to Ered Luin?"

"I have been sent by my chieftain to fly you with all haste to the Lonely Mountain," Voronwë told her, his voice grave.

"What has happened?" she exclaimed, awe forgotten as alarm took its place. _Oh Mahal, please not Fíli or Kíli, please not my sons..._

"There is no time, but I will explain as we go," the Eagle said. "Bring a warm cloak; flying is cold business for those without feathers. You had best pack provisions for a day's journey as well."

At a nod from Dís, her guards ran to do the Eagle's bidding, and as soon as they returned, the Eagle and the dwarrowdam took to the air. As they flew, he told Dís all that he knew, beginning with rescuing the Company from Azog on the cliff and ending with the great battle before the gates of Erebor, a battle in which the Eagles provided aide to a host of Men, Elves, and Dwarrow, who fought side-by-side against a horde of Orcs. Dís was shocked to learn that the Defiler, her grandfather's murderer, had not died at _Azanulbizar_ as she had believed all these years. Her horror upon learning this fueled her overwhelming worry for her brother and sons, and so she did not notice the gaps that appeared in Voronwë's tale.

The day-long flight both thrilled and terrified Dís. After all, how many people could say that they had actually flown on the back of a great Eagle? On the other hand, a large part of Dís held firmly to the belief that if Dwarrow had been meant to fly, Mahal would have given them wings. Early in the morning the day after they left the Blue Mountains, Voronwë landed at the foot of the Lonely Mountain, just outside a tent camp bustling with Men and Dwarrow alike.

"My thanks to you, Voronwë." Dís bowed to Manwë's servant. "May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks."

"Farewell, daughter of Thráin," Voronwë replied, "wherever you fare, 'til your eyrie receives you at journey's end."

With that he left her, and Dís entered the camp, preparing to search for her two sons. Before she could get very far, she was stopped by a she-Elf with long fire-red hair.

"Are you the mother of Fíli and Kíli?" the she-Elf asked.

"Who asks?" Dís replied with narrowed eyes, for though her suspicion and dislike of Elves was not as strong as her brother's, it was still quite substantial.

The she-Elf bowed her head in deference to the female Dwarf. "I am Tauriel, former captain of the guard of Mirkwood. If you are indeed the Princess Dís, then you are the one for whom I have kept watch; your sons asked me to take you to them upon your arrival."

After a moment of consideration, Dís's longing to see her brother and sons outweighed her general qualms about Elves, and she nodded. "I am she."

Tauriel smiled. "I thought as much, for though you have the look of Kíli and the king, you and Fíli share your brother's bearing. Please, this way."

Dís was startled by how well this Tauriel appeared to know her family. She would have questioned her, but she was soon too busy struggling to keep up with the long, swift strides of the she-Elf to question her overmuch. Tauriel led the dwarrowdam to a tent in the center of the camp, where Dís was relieved to see Dwalin standing guard.

"Ah, lass, it's good ta see ya," Dwalin said, bowing his head to his princess.

"And you, Dwalin." Dís took his hand and knocked her forehead to his in greeting. "I hope you and Balin are both well."

"Oh, aye, as well as we can be after havin' ta look after your royal lunk-head of a brother," the gruff warrior replied. "Go on in; those boys o' yours are waitin' for you. We've near had ta sit on 'em to keep 'em goin' out and lookin' for ya' themselves."

Dís ducked inside the tent and was immediately greeted by her sons. Both were injured in some way, but since they were both alive, Dís could not bring herself to care overmuch. She was so fully focused on fussing over Fíli and Kíli that she almost - _almost_ \- missed the brief but surprisingly amicable conversation between Dwalin and Tauriel.

"Have you heard anything about-?" Dwalin started to say, though he seemed to stop himself.

Tauriel shook her head. "Not a word, though I doubt that anyone would send me word, considering..."

"The princeling wouldna leave ya in the dark," he reasoned. "She trusted - _trusts_ \- you both. I'd like ta think she knows what she's talkin' about."

The she-Elf smiled faintly, and though Dís was curious to know of whom and what they were speaking, her attention was quickly diverted when she saw her brother laying nearly lifelessly on the third cot in the tent.

"What happened to him?" Dís asked, her gaze focused on her brother. "He looks uninjured, yet he does not wake." She looked up at her sons in time to catch the glances they exchanged, wordlessly asking each other just how much they should tell their mother.

"He was fighting Azog in the middle of the frozen river," Fíli finally said, breaking the silence that had followed her questions. "Bolg, Azog's spawn, was the one who had injured Kee before, and he came after us again. He kept us from getting to Thorin until it was too late. Thorin was found after the battle by Dáin and his people and brought here. He hasn't woken yet."

"And the healers? What do they say?"

Another glance, and this time it was Kíli who spoke. "They don't know what to think," the younger heir of Durin informed his mother. "There's no reason he shouldn't wake up. He just... won't."

* * *

Dís stayed by Thorin's side for four days and four nights, hoping, praying, that somehow her oldest brother would wake up and come back to her. On the fifth day, Dís had finally managed to doze off, and none of the Company was inclined to try to wake her, lest they incur the wrath of her two worried sons.

The dwarrowdam was awakened from slumber soon enough, however, by Thorin thrashing around as if caught in some terrible dream, calling out in his sleep for someone named _Ithtir_. He startled awake, and Dís leaned forward in her seat, cautiously remaining just out of reach, fully aware of how dangerous her brother could be as a warrior awakened from a night terror. When Thorin's eyes finally settled on his sister, he blinked in astonishment.

"Dís?" he breathed. " _Namadith_ , what in Durin's name are you doing here?"

"It's a long story, _nadad_ ," she replied, "which may or may not involve flying on an Eagle's wings."

Thorin snorted. "I would say that I did it first, but since I was completely unconscious for the entire thing and he apparently held me in his talons, the veracity of such a statement could be up for debate."

Her brother sounded so completely normal, and Dís gasped out a laugh between the tears that started to fall. Dís was so overjoyed that her brother was finally awake that she couldn't yet bring herself to question him over his waking dream. Instead, she summoned the healers, who examined Thorin and pronounced him fully healthy, much to their continued befuddlement, though they cautioned him to take things slowly for a while. It was then, as many knowing looks were exchanged among members of the Company without a single spoken word, that Dís began to suspect she was being kept in the dark about something. If that was the case, well, Dís would just have to uncover whatever her brother had decided he did not want her to know.

* * *

Over the coming months, Dís began her search for the truth by mentally cataloging things about the Dwarrow of the Company that seemed off in some way. She knew each of them well, for most were related to her in some fashion, if somewhat distantly. Thorin and Fíli and Kíli were of course her closest kin, and she could see that they were the most affected and changed by whatever had happened during their quest.

The first and most obvious issue that concerned Dís was Thorin's actions regarding the Arkenstone. Personally, Dís wished the wretched thing had been lost to dragon fire long ago, for she had witnessed firsthand the ruin that thrice-cursed stone had brought upon her family. She knew, though, that without it, her brother would not be able to claim the right to rule as King Under the Mountain and would have no authority over the seven armies of the Dwarves. 

So Dís had at first resigned herself to the thought that her brother would have it mounted above his throne as their grandfather had done so long ago. But though his entire quest had centered on retrieving that stone which would prove his right to rule, he now refused to have anything to do with it. Rather than displaying it proudly for all to see, Thorin had ordered Balin to lock it away in a vault deep within the heart of the Mountain. Dís was astonished when she learned that Thorin had refused to ever lay eyes upon the Arkenstone again.

Second was the business with Kíli and Tauriel, the red-haired she-Elf who had helped Dis find her brother and sons in the healer's tents upon her arrival at the Mountain. Events had apparently transpired during the Company's travels that led Kíli to become enamored of the girl, and he had openly proclaimed his intent to court her, claiming her as his _Umùrad_. Dís wished she could say she was surprised, but her youngest son had always been different than most other Dwarrow she had ever known, so she should have expected his One to be someone so very different than everyone else.

Though the entire council of elders was insulted beyond belief by such an outrage, Kíli stood firm in his resolve to court and eventually marry Tauriel. Behind him he had the full and unflinching support of his brother, the Crown Prince, and more surprisingly, their uncle, the King. That Fíli should support his younger brother in such a matter was understandable and even expected, but for Thorin to stand by his youngest nephew in choosing a she-Elf for a bride was apparently unthinkable.

Everyone was shocked when Thorin gave Kíli and Tauriel his blessing to marry, Dís not the least of all. While she thought the council's reaction a little ridiculous - _For Mahal's sake, it's not as if he's purposefully doing this as a direct insult to you, though I can't say I'd mind it if he was after the grief you've given my boy, you pompous old hogs!_ \- and she did not particularly mind the girl herself, she also did not exactly want a she-Elf for a daughter-in-law. Seeing, however, that Kíli adored the girl, that Fíli acted like her sworn bodyguard whenever his brother was not around, and that Thorin and the rest of the Company treated the warrior and healer with great respect, Dís was not inclined to interfere in the match -- too much, at least.

Third and finally, what gave the princess the most cause for concern was the quiet grief that could be found in the eyes of all the Dwarrow of the Company. She knew for a fact that all of their number, including their Hobbit burglar, had miraculously managed to survive the final battle, though no one who had fought that fight had escaped unscathed. Nevertheless, Thorin and the rest of the Company seemed to be in perpetual mourning. It was this above all else which led Dís to a startling conclusion: Besides the Wizard and the Hobbit, there had been another member of this Company of her brother's.

Her suspicions were confirmed much later at a gathering of the Company, a gathering to which Dís and Tauriel were both invited. Bofur, having consumed a bit too much ale, had begun to speak rather loudly of the missing member of her brother's Company. His words, unbelievable as they were, intrigued Dís, and she had tried to glean as much information as she could from the drunk toy maker. His cousin Bifur soon silenced him sharply, but by then the damage had already been done. The princess now knew for a fact that there had been a fifteenth companion to the Dwarvish company. What startled her, however, was that if Bofur could be believed, this previously unknown companion was a woman.

With this knowledge came Dís's realization that Thorin had bound his Company to silence, commanding them not to speak of this mystery woman to anyone who had not known of her. Even though her suspicion was confirmed, she now found herself with so many more questions and no hope of ever learning their answers. Dís was a stubborn dwarrowdam, though, and she resolved not to give up in her quest for knowledge.

She eventually deduced that she had been bringing her questions to all the wrong people. When faced with her many inquiries, Thorin gently but firmly shut her down, and the Fundinul brothers did much the same. The sons of Gróin, the Firebeard brothers and their cousin, and even the brothers Ri had much too tight a bond with Thorin to betray his trust by answering her questions.

Then Dís conceived a devious notion, for there were two members of the Company who she knew would never be able to refuse her answers to her many questions. Thus it was that Dís hunted down her sons and cornered them, allowing them no space to flee from her stern gaze. When she ordered them into her private study, they obeyed her glumly, and she followed them in, bolting the door behind her with a grimly satisfied smile.

"Enough is enough," she said, turning on them and crossing her arms sternly. "I know that Thorin has ordered you and all the others to keep something from me, and I will not have it any longer. I love my brother, and I understand that you only wish to keep his secrets and preserve his privacy, but you are my sons. You will tell me the truth. Now."

They both laughed uneasily, and Dís could tell by the way they shifted that her boys were nervous. Kíli was the first to speak, ever the charmer, just like his father had been so long ago. His laughing brown eyes mirrored those of her lost love, so identical to Víli's that her heart ached.

"Keeping something?" said her youngest. "Why, _Amad_ , whatever do you mean?"

Banishing her grief tinged with amusement at his similarities to her husband, lost to her now for many years, Dís glared at Kíli, narrowing her eyes at him in a silent threat, and he gulped in terror. "Do not play games with me, Kíli. I know already that there was another member of your uncle's Company. I also know that this person was a woman. Now, I will ask you my questions, and you will both give me answers."

Fíli and Kíli grimaced in unison, seemingly recognizing their defeat, and Dís resisted the urge to sigh in relief. _Finally. Now I'm getting somewhere._

"Who is this woman?" Dís asked her sons, trying to keep out of her voice the note of a silent plea for her sons to have mercy on her sanity, "and why in Durin's name has Thorin ordered that not a soul among you is to speak of her to anyone?"

"This whole matter is more than a little complicated, _Amad_ ," Fíli responded, his expression sober and pain clear in his eyes. "She was... a very special person. It took time for the Company to warm to her, but everyone came to love her after a time. She was a sister-in-arms to us all; there was not one moment of our journey where she was not looking out for us."

"She saved Fee's life," Kíli interjected. "One of the pack ponies bolted in fright and dragged him into the river. He would have drowned if not for Rána."

"Rána," Dís murmured, filing the name away in her mind. "If this _Rána_ did indeed travel with you, where is she now? Why have I not been introduced to her?"

"She's gone, _Amad_ ," said Fíli softly. "Rána didn't survive the final battle."

Though the princess was expecting an answer such as that, still she sucked in a breath, closing her eyes and bowing her head. "Forgive me; I suspected as much. Do you know how it happened?"

Her sons shook their heads. "We can only guess," Kíli told her. "It was when we were on Ravenhill, and Bolg had us separated from Thorin. All I can say for certain is that I last saw her slashing her way through the horde with sword and dagger to get to Thorin."

Fíli continued, "She fought Azog at Thorin's side, that much I know, for she would never have left him. And from what Thorin has told us, she must have used the last of her strength to heal him."

"Heal Thorin?" Dis asked in confusion. "Was she then a healer like Óin? His apprentice, perhaps?"

The brothers glanced at each other again, and their mother witnessed yet another silent debate between them over how best to answer her question truthfully without angering her. Oh, how she had always dreaded that look.

"Nay, _Amad_ ," Kíli replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he chuckled awkwardly. "She was an Elf. That's how she healed him."

Dís gaped at her sons, trying to make sense of what she just learned. "But why? Why on earth would an Elf save a Dwarf at the expense of her own immortal life?"

"Rána was not like other Elves," responded Kíli defensively, and Dís repressed a smile, for that tone was one she heard quite often when he spoke of his Tauriel. "She loved all of us, and I think that she even thought of Fee and me as her sons, in her own way. But her love for Thorin was fierce and unyielding, for he was her _faewedh_. She gave her life for his because she loved him that much; she could not bear the thought of living in a world where he was no more."

"That's why he's so changed now, you see," Fíli picked up where his brother left off. "Rána was Thorin's _Umùrad_ , and he loved her with every part of his soul."

"Thorin loved her?" Dís's heart broke all over again for her older brother. Yes, she knew all too well that grief which lived in his eyes. She had seen it in her own reflection every day since she had lost her husband.

"If you truly want to know everything about Rána, we'll tell you, _Amad_ ," Kíli spoke up as he sat down on a sofa, elevating and rubbing his right leg, which had borne the wound from the poisoned arrow. "But you had best make yourself comfortable, for her tale is long, and there is much to tell."

"To start, her name wasn't _really_ Rána," Fíli began. "It's more of a nickname, really. Her full name is- well, it would probably be best for you to learn her name like we did in the first place, as the tale goes along. I hardly even know how to begin telling you of her. I suppose, well, I suppose the best place to start is the beginning, and as it usually goes, Rána's part in our tale begins with Gandalf..."

* * *

**Glossary of Unfamiliar Terms:**

  * Mahal

    * Khuzdul for Aulë, husband of Yavanna, smith of the Valar, creator of the Dwarves

  * Dwarrow

    * The proper plural term for Dwarf

  * Manwë

    * King of the Valar, husband of Varda, and Lord of the Eagles

  * Voronwë

    * Sindarin name meaning "Faithful"

  * _Azanulbizar_

    * (T.A. 2799) Final battle in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, fought beneath the East-gate of Moria

  * Tauriel

    * Sindarin name meaning "Forest Maiden"

  * _Ithtir_

    * Khuzdul for "Bright Starry One"

  * _Namadith_

    * Khuzdul for "Little Sister"

  * _nadad_

    * Khuzdul for "brother"

  * _Umùrad_

    * Khuzdul for One, meaning a Dwarf's soulmate

  * _Amad_

    * Khuzdul for Mother

  * Rána

    * Quenya for Moon, (lit.) Wanderer

  * _faewedh_

    * Sindarin for soulmate





End file.
